Compass Rose, my Beloved

CompassRose is a ship that involves Oscar, Ruby, and Oz. This can be in any manner of romantic and platonic ways. I am happy to talk about that! All questions will be answers with the assumption they are asked in good faith unless you specify otherwise. I will tag things 'compassrose' and 'compassroserwby' feel free to block these tags or block this blog in general if you need. 

[cardinalroses]

I have done a few drabbles based of a specific prompt list but I’d like to say feel free to send in your own original prompts/requests too!  I have nothing specific that is off limits to request but if something does go beyond my writing comfort level I will respectfully decline to write it.  Inbox is open and anon is on, have fun.  All fics are posted to Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardinalRoses/works

[compassroserwby-deactivated2023]

Could you list scenes in the show where Ruby showed loneliness?

Hi anon!

Thank you for your request!

We’ve already covered Ruby’s loneliness in our colour analysis, but TLDR Ruby’s loneliness is marked not by blue colours, as is common in visual storytelling, but by isolating her in tones of grey. This is done specifically to keep to the storytelling in RWBY in which colour = light = life.

Colour is a direct product of light and since Light is Ruby’s element and a sign of her power and emotional wellbeing, when that light is missing so is colour.

So there are plenty of cases in which she is isolated by the colour design from other characters, who are shown to be surrounded by lighter and more colourful sections:

Ruby also specifically isolates herself from others when she’s overwhelmed by her loneliness

“Sorry. The others went to get food for tonight.” “Why don’t go with them?” “I don’t know…”

However, I’m assuming you’re referring specifically to our interpretation of treasure, in which case the “all alone in crowded rooms” is one of the more specific lines that refers to Ruby, in which case you’re welcome to all of these examples of just that:

“Cold” is also a specific reference used for loneliness overall in RWBY, but it’s very specifically used for Ruby thoughout the series. She’s the only one who ever comments on the weather, in spite of her aura being probably the greatest in the entire series— and if we go into specifics of the source of her loneliness (both Oz and Oscar not being by her side) it makes sense that she starts ‘freezing’ when Oscar chooses to side with Ironwood over her.

And that since their symbol is the artificial sun (we’ll be returning to why it’s specifically artificial later) the fact that the turned off heating grid is often marking her in vol 8 is to suggest that she’s lonely and missing their presence after their abduction by salem, and the fact she’s subconsciously feeling that loss:

EG: in the scene where Oscar returns they use all the different rules mentioned above to really drive home the force of her loneliness when coming face to face with the solution to it:

Not only is she visually isolated from the others, she’s also surrounded by darkness, tones of grey, and blues with a frost symbol on them to emphasise just how palpable her loneliness is, just how numb she is without them beside her.

Another example where they use the artificial sun symbols to show off her separation from the boys is the fight with he hound:

Here it’s physically keeping her apart from two artificial sun symbols, with diluted blues and black tones surrounding her, to tell us she’s come face to face with the force that took them from her in vol 8.

Another example of that, which we’ve mentioned before, is the way they use the Atlesian symbol, or part of the atlesian symbol (the part that looks like an artificial sun IE Oz and Oscar’s symbol) to show her missing her boys and being lonely without them.

They make that connection very apparent in her conversation with Qrow in Pomp and Circumstance, and use it consistently afterwards to tell us either when she’s thinking of them in general or when Oz is in control during battles way way later in the series:

We further go into the way the visual storytelling and cinematography shows Ruby’s mental states in the following analyses, as well as how the boys are shown to be the solution to and cause of that loneliness:

The colour analysis

The Break-Ups and Confessions analysis part 1 and part 2

Thank you for your ask!

This, of course, isn’t all of them, but we hope this leaves you with enough symbols and visual cues to make your own deductions!

[cardinalroses]

One thing that comes to mind for me is both the Red trailer and Ruby’s V4 character short. In both of these she is shown fighting grimm entirely on her own in a situation of her own choosing, she self isolated. 

WBY all get trailers and character shorts that have a thematic throughline of sorts to them and tell us something about their main struggles and characteristics.  So for Yang it shows her method of facing things head on and motivations for doing so always being about family- in the trailer her trying to find more info about Raven and in her short about her trying to protect Ruby.  For Blake it’s about her relationships and what she left behind, first choosing to leave Adam and then her whole situation with Ilia and being back on Menagerie.  Weiss is the person on the team with the blatant arc about loneliness and isolation, sure. It’s the isolation of being put on display in front of a crowd by her family’s expectations and then having to prove herself to escape that.  Ruby doesn’t get anything quite so blatant? Really the most spelled out character traits of hers come from Yang’s character short, not her own, of reliance on her weapon and avoidance of facing things head on.  In her trailer and character short it shows her choosing to go out and fight grimm alone, it’s devoid of dialogue for the most part and the majority of the music is instrumental with it being more of a journey of emotions timed to her fight. To me it’s always seemed like what this is telling us is this is her way of processing things, she does it alone and does it by fighting. 

[chaikachi]

Behind Closed Doors

Process gif available for monthly supports! Links in pinned post & notes.

[apocraphelion]

RG+ server open!

I’ve made and am running a discord server! https://discord.gg/NyJSDJeA3y 

This is a server for trios & poly ships that include both Ruby and Oscar. Trios and poly ships tend to have smaller fandoms, so I thought it would be nice to have a space that combines several together, so we can have a wider community. All ship discussions will be confined to their respective channels so that if any ship makes you uncomfortable, you can mute the channel for it :)

you may have seen this link already from the brighteyesweek post about it, as there is a brighteyes channel, but I wanted to say some of the other ships there are channels for:

- compassrose (rg+oz) - whiterosegarden (rg+weiss) - stoplight (rg+jaune) - snowgarden (rg+whitley) - team powr (penny, oscar, whitley, ruby)

there is also a section for rosegarden (without a third/others) as that’s the link between all of these, but bear in mind there is a rosegarden server already so if that’s your main thing, you may prefer to be in there instead.

there are a couple other channels, and we can add more for anything not yet included! there isn’t any conversation yet outside of brighteyes (for obvious reasons of that’s the circle it’s been shared to so far) but feel free to come in and start stuff going!

basic rules: no sexism, homophobia/transphobia, racism, ableism. All adult content must go in the nsfw channels, keep it PG13 outside of them. No discussion of incestuous ships (defined here as characters with confirmed in show blood relation)

and finally here’s the link again: https://discord.gg/NyJSDJeA3y I hope to see some of y’all in there :)

[chaikachi]

Viking Au shenanigans for a gift exchange w @ethemreal!

[cardinalroses]

Emotional reunion/'please stay' smut definitely not at all inspired by the song Freshly Laundered Linen. 🙃

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Here you go!

[saulagoode]

The Wizard

[chaikachi]

Day 2: Married Life | ko-fi

This one comes with a callout post to my friends who keep getting me extremely invested in really sad aus that I can't summarize in a single post so I just end up drawing for relentlessly instead.

[hyperfixation-hideout]

Ozpin when Ruby has an idea // Oscar when Ruby has silver eyes

[compassroserwby-deactivated2023]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary:

“And Ruby can finally relax enough to let her voice flow, to let herself get caught up in another fairy tale; one she has held on to since Beacon, maybe even before that. And there is real joy in letting her voice form that fairy tale now, in being listened to instead of just experiencing it.

—–

A year passes, and ORNJ finally manage to drag team RWBY from Salem’s clutches, but what awaits them on the other side is a long journey through winter and recovery, to brighter months of spring and Summer.

Good thing a hand held and laughter shared make the world a much warmer place to be.”

[cardinalroses]

Ooohhh i just saw the list of kisses and your last drabble was ABSOLUTELY adorable, can i have #1? A kiss on the top of the head for them pls?? 🥺🥺

#1 from this list: A kiss to the top of the head Please feel free to send in other requests from this list, or your own original prompts as well. I would love to do more drabbles!

“Kay, I’m out of here, see you in a few hours!” Ruby spoke in a rush, bending down to kiss the top of his head briefly before using her semblance to give her an extra little boost out the door, leaving a spare few petals in her wake.

She was playing a game. It all started when she noticed how cautious Oz had gotten with any little touch.

It didn’t used to be like that, he was comfortable with casual touch in general. Being that he shared a body with her boyfriend and that she considered a close companion, things like hugs and sitting right against each other were commonplace between them.

That was until a few weeks ago. There was a little mishap, a mistaken kiss, to which Oz apologized profusely and continually for the rest of the day regardless of assurance that it was bound to happen eventually, that it was fine, Ruby didn’t mind, Oscar didn’t mind, they both just found it funny.

From that point onward he had been respectful to a fault, not so much as touching her shoulder without direct permission. She had discovered incidentally that if she were the one to touch him in any sort of casual way, he would instantly become flustered. It was the least put-together and dignified she had ever seen him, and she couldn’t help but want to try it again. So she started with much more intentional and frequent hugs, or resting her head on his shoulder while he was writing, watching him turn increasingly red until he’d make an excuse to move away. If she thought it was making him genuinely uncomfortable, she wouldn’t push it, but as it was, it was a fun way to mess with him. The forehead kisses were the newest thing, though she had yet to stick around long enough to see his expression afterwards, she was sated with the knowledge that he was certainly left a mess. What Ruby wasn’t expecting was Oz’s retaliation. One evening soon after, Ruby was hunched over tinkering with her scythe, doing maintenance. She was too distracted to register how close by he was, though the tone of voice as he mumbled about going to bed for the night told her that it was Oz in control at the moment. Then, just a moment later, she felt a kiss pressed to the top of her hair. She was almost annoyed before she could process what had happened, because she was working on very fiddly fine work right now and the motion had made her drop a tiny screw onto the table.

That initial annoyance faded into humor rapidly though. It happened so quickly that she almost would doubt it happened if not for the sound of his feet and slam of the bedroom door as he fled. She set down her scythe and tools, rubbing her cheeks as if that’d cool them down at all.

[cloqrose]

Embrace.

[cloqrose]

It’s been a while…

[chaikachi]

I just think he should be able to laugh without restraint every once in a while

[isanarte]

I heard someone out there go "stop drawing compassrose because I do not like it!!" so I drew even more! ;)

full version here on my twitter!

Ko-Fi / Twitter

[isanarte]

Pinky promise that you will step on me? ;)

Ko-Fi / Twitter

[marrowgxld]

We were fools….Oscar wasn’t the baby..it was Ozpin the whole time